Judge: FAA Liable for Helicopter Crash

LA Times:

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Tower controllers to blame for fatal helicopter crash in Torrance, judge rules

Ruling contradicts an FAA finding that the surviving pilot caused the collision that killed two in a second chopper.

By Joe Mozingo, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 7, 2008

Air traffic controllers at Torrance Municipal Airport made a critical mistake that caused two helicopters to collide in front of the control tower in 2003, killing two men in one chopper and seriously injuring the pilot of the other, a federal judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper's ruling Monday in Los Angeles directly contradicted a report by the National Transportation and Safety Board that concluded the surviving pilot, Gavin Heyworth, was to blame for the crash.

Cooper determined that both pilots "properly relied upon and complied with the control instruction they were given by" air traffic controller Edward Weber. [Full Article]

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